Students attend UK University Search event

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to be part of a group of year 11 and 12 pupils that visited the University of Northampton for the UK University Search event. As soon as I heard that places were available, I was quick to hand in my permission slip, and I’m so happy I did!

The event featured a diverse range of visiting universities, each with its own colourful and visually stunning stall. I spent the day exploring the campus with my friend Vinny. I was mainly interested in English and Media, while Vinny was looking into Game Design. We were both pleasantly surprised by how many different courses were available! We often detoured into new courses that we knew nothing about!

At every stall, I began by asking about English and Media qualifications at their respective university, which led to some relaxed but informative conversations about joint honours degrees, Liberal Arts, and Creative Writing. It was inspiring to learn how many academic paths exist within the subjects I would like to pursue a career in.

The facilities were amazing! Each university had its own goodies — from pens, badges, and prospectuses to tote bags (I collected six and even gave one to Mr Dodkin after History revision because he is simply amazing!) and a small flashlight from the University of Lancashire. Throughout the day, seminars were held every 30 minutes. Vinny and I attended one titled ‘University Life and Courses’, presented by a student ambassador from the University of Northampton studying Psychology there, which gave a good insight into what university life is really like.

Since the event, I’ve received follow-up emails from many universities, including Aberystwyth, Warwick, Leicester, Chester and Bangor. Each stall had a QR code for buzzing students to scan, which shared our contact details with the universities, and it was both exciting and humbling to see so many get in touch afterwards.

Attending the University Search has made me feel much more confident about my options for the future and thinking ahead career-wise. It helped me prepare for the Vandyke Sixth Form Open Evening the very same day!

Simply put, the trip was reassuring, informative, relaxed and simply amazing!

Written by Adrian S, Y11

Photo courtesy of University of Northampton